[Weekly Screenshot] Art of Balance Wii U #1

Nintendo Everything is introducing another new developer-centric feature called “Weekly Screenshot”. Each week, developers will share new photos from their games and talk a bit about what’s going on in the image, how it was made, or what it means for the experience of playing. You know how Masahiro Sakurai shares new screenshots from Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS every weekday? Our feature is similar, though again, new images will only appear each week.

Art of Balance developer Shin’en is kicking things off with weekly looks at their title, which is coming out on the Wii U eShop in the near future. The studio will share one new image each Tuesday and intends to briefly discuss some of the tech being used.

In any case, on with the screenshot!

Hi guys, it’s Manfred from Shin’en. First of all, thanks to Brian for the opportunity to show our fans on Nintendo Everything some images of our soon to be released Wii U eShop game “Art of Balance”. The “Art of Balance” series is known on Wii and 3DS for its perfect gameplay. For the Wii U version, we wanted to create more then just an HD update. So we added new local and online mutliplayer modes, along with a complete new look for the game that makes the Wii U really shine. 200 levels from the Wii and 3DS version are included, but now you can even play them with your family, friends, and even online.

Each week, we will present a new shot and will talk a bit about the game and tech we’re using.

Above you can find the first shot featuring the hub for the eight worlds you can play. We used high dynamic range rendering– which gives us those nice sun sparkles on the ocean– and the ocean uses a dynamic wave simulation. Soft shadows are also used to connect everything, and if you look closely you can even see real-time reflections. Volumetric sun rays have been implemented to give an extra touch of softness.